Understand battle tactics from the stone age through modern times with hands-on gameplay with Junior General. Use printables from the site to create paper troops, and then choose from different rules and scenarios to recreate a battle. Be sure to take advantage of the many articles offering tips and advice for using and modifying resources found on the site.

In the Classroom

Choose from the many different options on this site to create battle recreations offering a much better perspective of troop size and battle tactics. Pique student interest in reading the scenarios by having them cut and prepare figures, forests, and more in advance. Using the figures on Junior General takes some advanced planning, so have students start cutting and preparing figures a day or two before beginning the reading. Challenge students to create timelines of the major events of a battle (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Capzles, reviewed here. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a soldier during a battle. Use the scenarios as informational reading to meet Common Core Standards.

Enjoy and challenge creativity and problem-solving skills in a world of wonder. Once you sign up for Wonderment, a social platform for kids, choose a bot or secret identity. Given a choice to follow many different paths, kids determine the subject of interest. The paths are real-world problems from around the globe. View a video, story, or idea. Design a response using text, photos, or a video. Join a chat to allow comments or ask questions to make global connections. After each posting, special points are added to make the bot design more elaborate. A personal Wondermeter rises with each response. Through donations, this non-profit brings technology to children around the world. A call for adults to serve as mentors to respond to each child challenges adults to join in the fun and make the world a better place. Register with email. Children under 13 need parent or teacher approval to participate. Watch the two short videos to see an explanation for The Wonderment and How It Works.

In the Classroom

Wonderment is a problem based learning adventure for each student around the world to communicate and collaborate with other students. This venue allows great lesson ideas for digital citizenship and digital footprints. Begin by choosing a path for the entire class and feature on an interactive whiteboard. Have students work in small groups to choose their best response. Discussions after can focus on creativity, problem solving, and collaboration between the group and others from around the world. In a gifted class, use as a way to challenge kids to break through the "right answer" and find the "best answer." Use this as a model for finding authentic needs in your community. Be sure to share a link to this tool on your class blog, website, or Edmodo account. Use this tool as the answer for the parents who always want more challenge and enrichment for their students at home. Be sure to share at a staff meeting to spread the wonder for other students and adults.

Learn about the life of Andrew Carnegie beginning with his humble beginnings all the way through his rise to the richest man in the world with this interactive storytelling tool. Scroll through the site to read about Carnegie's youth and explore the timeline of his business. Continue reading to learn about his philanthropic side, including the founding of over 2,500 libraries across the United States. Use links at the top of the page to view specific portions of the site without having to scroll through all sections. The video at the end is hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the video may not be viewable. You could always view it at home and bring it to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid, reviewed here, to download the video from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups. Include this resource with a study of the 19th Century, famous businessmen, or philanthropy. Have students create maps of libraries in your state funded by the Carnegie Foundation using Animaps, reviewed here. Students can add text, images, and location stops! Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about Andrew Carnegie and his peers. Use this site as a starting point to compare Andrew Carnegie to current businessmen and philanthropists such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.

While the US Gulf War may seem more a current event than history, the conflict is now 25 years in the past. Public Broadcasting's Frontline presents an overview of the Persian Gulf crisis in 1990, including oral histories, maps, a timeline, and descriptions of the weapons and technology used by US and Allied forces. The site, first launched in 1996, now offers some fresh perspectives in light of current events.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

War in the Middle East has been a fact of life for today's students. Use the resources here to help students understand the current conflict in the context of the Persian Gulf crisis of 1990. Many of the major decision makers involved in the Gulf War are still politically active today. Challenge students to explore their influence over time. How have attitudes toward this conflict changed as the violence has persisted?

Use the magic of Star Wars to spark learning and imagination in many curricular areas with resources found on this site. Choose the Content Areas link to find lessons and activities in mythology, social studies, science, and more. Be sure to check out the ELA resources that include many literature-related activities with themes such as good vs. evil and heroes and villains. The History content has sections on geography, world religions, elections, current events, and more.
Several portions of the site include activities to download in PDF format.

In the Classroom

Appeal to students through the movies they love using Star Wars in the Classroom. Collaborate with teachers to create a cross-curricular Star Wars unit. Use resources from this site with gifted students or for independent learners. The lessons and units at this site lend themselves to having students make multimedia presentations about what they learned. Use one of the many TeachersFirst Edge Tools, reviewed here. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a Star Wars character.

This collection of primary sources from the Library of Congress is organized around key topics and themes in American History. View Primary Source Set titles in alphabetical order from Abraham Lincoln through Women's Suffrage. Choose any topic to view Teacher's Guides and analysis tools including graphic organizers for students. Sort information to find materials meeting Common Core Standards, State Standards, or national organization standards.

In the Classroom

When introducing a new unit, show students photos from the era and have them describe what they see and what period they think it is. Find plenty of questions and activities (including a blank analysis organizer for students) in the Teacher's Guides. Also look at Library of Congress: for Teachers, reviewed here. Encourage your students to use this tool for projects. Challenge students to find a photo (legally permitted for reproduction), and then narrate the photo as if it is a news report. Have students create a multimedia presentation using Voicethread, reviewed here. This tool allows users to narrate a picture. Include this site on your class webpage for students and parents to access as a reference.

In the Classroom

Share the video on your interactive whiteboard or projector as an introduction to your Ramadan unit. Ask students to share what they know about this holiday. Use the video embed code to embed on your class web page or blog for viewing at home.

This PDF, designed for educators, provides information and resources for understanding the historical, social, cultural, and doctrinal elements of Ramadan. Scroll through to find in-depth descriptions of Ramadan events and traditions. The included lesson plans offer opportunities for understanding and hands-on learning of Ramadan traditions.

In the Classroom

Take advantage of the free lesson plans and bibliography found on this site as part of your Ramadan curriculum. Have students create maps using Animaps, reviewed here, to locate places around the world with large Ramadan celebrations. Students can add text, images, and location stops!

Explore D-Day events through the perspective of the U.S. Navy. Choose from different links explaining military operations such as Exercise Tiger and Operation Neptune. Watch a 1944 newsreel telling of the liberation of Rome or learn about famous Rear Admirals Ford and Cabanillas and their role in D-Day.

In the Classroom

Be sure to help your weaker readers and ESL/ELL students by sharing the vocabulary words prior to reading, either in a handout or by projecting on an interactive whiteboard and highlighting them in the text as you come to them. The text portions are challenging, so you should pair weaker readers with a partner as they research on this site. Divide students into cooperative learning groups to explore the site. Have them share their findings with a simple infographic using Easel.ly, reviewed here, or Venngage, reviewed here.

Investigate the events of D-Day and their impact on World War II with this simple but interesting resource. Scroll through the photos and short captions to see first-hand images of Allied Commanders, Hitler, soldiers going ashore, and more. Scroll all the way down the page to find a downloadable PDF with suggested activities, a D-Day PowerPoint, and a Hands on Science and Technology Challenge.

In the Classroom

Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a World War II unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a soldier, commander, or loved one during the D-Day invasion. Have students create timelines (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Capzles, reviewed here. Make your D-Day lessons interdisciplinary by sharing the Hands on Science and Technology lesson with science teachers at your site.

This informative site uses photographs, articles, maps, and videos to recapture the remarkable events of June 6, 1944. Choose the History tab to learn about D-Day events beginning with an overview of events leading up to the storming of the beaches of Normandy. Find background information on some of the important characters of this historic event. Be sure to scroll down the right side of the webpage to find links to Educational Tools such as lesson plans and first-hand accounts from Veterans of D-Day. At the time of review, some pages were still under construction so you may want to check back for updates. At least one of the videos is presented via YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the video may not be viewable. You could always view the video at home and bring it to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid, reviewed here, to download the video from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Feature this site during a single lesson on D-Day or as part of any World War II unit. Challenge students to make a multimedia presentation using one of the many TeachersFirst Edge tools, reviewed here. A few of our favorites would be to create an annotated image including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here. Alternatively, use a mapping tool such as Zeemaps, reviewed here, to create a map of local landforms (with audio stories and pictures included)! Or, have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a soldier, leader, or politician involved with D-Day events.

The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) offers an evaluation tool to assess the use of technology to enhance learning for K-12 students. This rubric evaluates the level of technology integration along with characteristics of a learning environment. Click on a content subject in any of the evaluation tool boxes to view a video of an example lesson in a classroom demonstrating different levels of technology integration. As a complement to the evaluation tool, view resources found within the rubric sorted by grade level, type of digital tool, and resources by choosing links at the top of the page.

In the Classroom

Use the matrix to evaluate how you use technology in your classroom. Share with administrators and peers as part of your ongoing professional development. View videos to understand different ways to incorporate technology in your classroom.

The Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project (AIG~IRP) provides a large selection of instructional resources for Social Studies. Choose from grade level bands to begin viewing available resources. Currently lessons are available for grades K, 2, 3, and 5. The project is continually adding lessons so it is worth checking occasionally for other grade levels. Download lessons and materials in Word format. Lessons include Common Core Standards and complete lesson plans including assessments.

In the Classroom

Bookmark this site as a resource for finding enrichment lessons and for working with gifted students. Share this project with your school's gifted teacher to use with students. Modify and use lessons from this site in your regular classroom, differentiate as needed for different student needs.

Convert, edit, and save video files with Freemake Video Converter. The video converter supports over 300 file input formats including video, audio, and image files. Use templates provided to turn photos or images into slideshows with a chosen soundtrack. Other features include the ability to clip and rotate video, upload to YouTube, and convert files to burn and save on Blu-ray or DVD. Be sure to watch the video on the site with directions on how to use this tool. It is a YouTube video so you may need to watch it somewhere other than at school.

In the Classroom

Share with students for use with any multimedia or presentation project. Use this tool to backup videos on your YouTube channel. Bookmark and save this video converter for use as an alternative to Keepvid, reviewed here. This tool and Keepvid are both used to download and save videos at home that you wish to show to students, especially if they are blocked at school. If you want to use the video at school, you may need to save the conversion to a USB stick, if a CD drive isn't available.

In the Classroom

Create cards, posters, or photo collages for any classroom presentation. Share what you created on your website or blog for students to review or for students who were absent. In the younger grades, teachers would be the ones creating the project. Have students create presentations to "introduce" themselves to the class during the first week of school. Link or embed the introduction presentations on your class wiki and have others guess who they are about. Use this tool with your 1:1 art class for students to practice design principles and techniques. Share student projects with parents and others via URL. Be sure to demonstrate HOW to use this tool on your interactive whiteboard or projector.

Discover where poverty (and prosperity) have been most present over the past two hundred years through this interactive map. Explore global issues such as corruption, health, and inequalities through short videos. Use tools to zoom in on the map to view specific continents or zoom back out for a larger overview. Filters allow sorting views by continent and least and most developed countries. As the timeline progresses, read about important events impacting poverty, such as world wars and AIDS.

In the Classroom

Share this map and the accompanying films on your interactive whiteboard as part of discussions on world economies, countries around the world, or changes during the past two hundred years across the globe. Allow students to explore on their own, then create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Easel.ly, reviewed here or Venngage reviewed here.

Global Post is a digital news site covering world events. It was the home-base of reporter James Foley who was held prisoner for almost two years by the Islamic State in Syria. Scroll through the home page to find breaking news, latest articles, and editor's picks. Find specific topics and trending news using the menu bar on the site. Preview topics before sharing with students.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Broaden student perspectives about world issues by sharing articles from Global Post on an interactive whiteboard or projector as part of current events lessons. Create a link to this site on classroom computers and have students read and share articles with the class. Be sure to add a link to this site on your class webpage for students to access at home. After exploring articles and information in-depth, have students use a tool such as Zeemaps, reviewed here, to give a recap of the article and state their opinion about the topic. Zeemaps allows students to create audio recordings AND choose a location (on a map) where the story takes place.

The National Football League's official site for kids includes interactives, tips, videos, and links to favorite teams. Read up on the latest NFL news, participate in polls, or play the game of the week. Read stories from the Kid Reporter team with information about local teams and events. Click links to any NFL team to view season schedules and read the latest team updates.

In the Classroom

Share the latest polls with students and compare results to those found in your class. Create a quick poll (with no membership required) using SurveyRock, reviewed here. Create a link on classroom computers and allow students to read headlines and the latest news, and then prepare a summary to present to the class. Follow the students' favorite teams through the site to use as story starters and journal topics. Practice math by following statistics of National Football League teams. Have students take one of the polls, and then justify their responses through writing a short editorial article.

Learn about the complex and changing borders and demographics of the Middle East through the view of 40 different maps. The maps offer a look at the region from many perspectives such as religion, Arabic dialects, and Oil and Gas in the Middle East. Click any map to view the larger image. All maps also include a short explanation of the contents and many include links to additional information. A few maps are presented via video on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. You could always view the videos at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid, reviewed here, to download the video from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Be sure to include this site on your class webpage for students to access both in and outside of class for further practice. Create a link to these maps on classroom computers for students to explore on their own. Use an online tool such as an Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare different countries, religions, or time periods included in the maps.

Engage your audience with zoomable images using Closr. Create an account and upload an image to begin. Add "Spots" and descriptions of any location on the image. Use the zoom feature to zoom in on any area on the image. Highlight and describe information. When finished, share using the embed code, URL, or social media links. Free plans include creating up to 5 canvases. Currently this site is also available as an iOS App.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Share Closr with your school's art teacher as an excellent way to highlight and feature details on artwork. History and science teachers can use Closr to zoom in on parts of the microscope, cells, historic buildings, battles, and more. Have students upload an image to demonstrate different parts of plants, landforms, or shapes found in images. Challenge students to upload images of a certain aspect of the Civil Rights Movement such as riots, laws implemented to remove segregation, lynchings, or different committees, assemblies, and leagues established to help ensure black American citizens have equal rights.